Railroad crossing



l.. T. Bor'ro RAILROAD cnossrm'.

Feb. 26, 1929.

Fil-ed Kay 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N f#- i I Feb. 26, 1929.

L. T. BOTTO RAILROAD cnossING Filed May 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet CTIPatented Feb. 26,1929.

UNITED STATES LOUIS T. BOTTO, OI` SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR 0FAbits-Ham To nEWIs o.

VOGELSANG, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

RAILROAD CROSSING.

Application led May 28,

This invention relates to railroad crossings and has for its object toprovide a device more simple in construction and more eliicicnt in usethan those heretofore proposed.

lVith these and.; other objects in view the invention consists' in thenovel details of construction and arrangement of parts which will bemore fully hereinafter disclosed and. particularly pointed out in theclaims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification in which like numerals designate like parts in all theviews,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the complete crossing;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the railroad or main trackadjacent the crossing; l

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the joints or rail intersections ofthe crossing;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken as on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 andlooking in the direction of the arrows;v

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the outside member of a pair of castingsforming a part of the joint of the railroad crossing;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the inside or gauge member of said pairof castings;

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the member shown in F ig. 6 as seen from theside thereof adapted to contact with a rail of the track; and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic top plan view of a crossing made in accordancewith this invention and illustrating the angular adju'stability thereof.

n order that this invention maybe the better understood it is said thatwith here` tofore known types of crossings, it has been necessary toprovide special track sections which have been quite costly ofmanufacture and requiring expensive maintenance. In addition to this, ithas been necessary to cut out a portion of the rails of the existingtrack in order to install the special casting of the crossing. Thesecostly operations and constructions, as well as other well knownundesirable features, are entirely eliminated by the present inventionas will be apparent from the following description thereof.

ln the drawings 1 and 2 designate the rails of the main or existingtrack, such as that of a steam railroad, secured in the usual 1927.Serial No. 194,944.

manner to the ties 3. For the purpose of more clearly illustrating theinvention only a small section of these rails is shown, but it is to beunderstood that these rails may be of the usual length, or in otherwords it is immaterial where the oints in said rails occur, although itis preferable to not have a joint in either of the railroad rails occurWithin the crossing or as closely adjacent thereto as to interfere withthe joint castings presently to be described.

lVhen it is desired to establish a crossing of the railroad track, therails 1 and 2 are loosened from the ties and then have .nsertedthereunder a pair of base plates 4 and 5, one for each rail of thecrossing track, such for example as that of an electric railway. n Theseplates, which are parallell spaced 1n conformity with the gauge of tfiecrossing track and disposed in accordance with the desired angle ofintersection with the main track as well as secured in any suitablemanner to the roadbed, are preferably made of steel, of a widthconsiderably greater than the rail, of a length greater than the gaugeof the track under which they are placed extending to either sidethereof a suitable distance, which in practice has been found to varyfrom two to eight or more feet accoi-ding to conditions such as natureof the roadbed, vehicular weights carried over the tracks, ete. Alsounder the main or railroad rails 1 and 2 are inserted sectional base'plates of a thickness equal to the base plates 4 and 5, so that the topsurfaces of all the base plates will lie in substantially the sameplane. That is to say, under the rail 1 is disposed the base platesection 7 having an end thereof precut to contactingly abut a lateraledge of the base plate 5. Between the base plates 4 and 5 under saidrail 1 is then inserted an intermediate base plate section 8 the ends ofwhich are so cut as to conform and contact with the inner lateral edgesAof the base plates 4 and 5. Then under said rail 1 is inserted the thirdbase plate section 9 having an end adapted to contactingly abut theouter lateral edge of the base plate 4 all as will be clear from Fig. 1.The base platesections 7, 8 and 9 are of the same material as the baseplates 4 and 5 and the sections 7 and 9 are of a length to extend fromthe crossing a distance substantially equal to thev extension of thebase plates 4 and 5, although they may extend further, or not so far, inaccordance with the conditions above enumerated. Thenv under the rail 2there are disposed base plate sections 1.0, 11 and 12 in exactly thesame manner the electric railway or crossing tracks there will bedisposed continuous base plates, and under the steam railroad or mainrails there also will be disposed continuous base plates made of weldedsections, the shape and length of said sections being determined by thepositions of the base plates for the crossing track. n

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 5, and 6, there is positioned onthe base plates for the two tracks, a pair of castings adapted to formthe joint between the two tracks. In other words, there is provided acasting, generally indicated by the numeral 15, d1sposed along theoutslde of the main ra1l 1 in alignment with one of the crossing ra1ls,and on the inside or gauge side of said maln rail there is disposed aslightly different casting, generally indicated by the numeral 16, alsoin alignment with the same crossing rail. In like manner at each of thepoints of intersection of the rails of both tracks there is provided apair of castings exactly similar to the pair 15 and 16, all as will bereadily understood from the drawings.

The casting 15, see Fig. 5, is provided with a base comprising asubstantially semi-circular flange 20 which is adapted to lie in Contactwith the upper surfaces of the base plates for the rails of both tracks.Along what may be termed the diametric or straight edge limit of thisbase there is provided a substantially vertically disposed wall 21having a surface 22 constituting the bottom thereof which is formed tolie in contact with the upper surface of the outer flange of the rail 1.The wall 21 is further provided at the top with a surface 23 formed tosnugly fit the under side of the outer portion of the ball 24 of saidrail 1. The wall 21 is still further provided with surfaces 25 and 26for its sides, the former being vertically disposed and adapted to liewithin the rail 1, and the latter being angularly disposed to the formerwhereby the lower portion of the wall 21 is made thicker than the upper,thereby strengthening the casting. The remainder of the casting 15constitutes an integrally formed solid upstanding turret or hub 26 ofsubstantially semi-circular shape and formed concentrically with thebase flange 20. The straight edged side 27 of said turret lies in avert1cal surface adapted to contact with the vertical side portion ofthe ball 24 of the rail 1. The casting may -be provided with elongatedslots 30 1n the end portions of the wall 21, having associated therewithan enlarged recess or pocket 31 for the reception of a securing boltwhich is adapted to pass through apertures provided therefor in the webportion of the rail as will be readily understood. The vertical heightof the turret 26 is made equal to the total height of the rail of thecrossing track, minus the radial dimension of the flange of the wheel ofthe vehicle traversing said crossing track for a purpose that willpresently appear.

As stated above, the casting 15 is positioned along the rail 1 at thepoint where a rail of the crossing track forms the intersection, Withthe base flange 20 resting upon the base plates of the respective rails.There is then provided a spacing plate 35 in parallel relation with andon top of the base plate 5, one end of which is arcuately cut to fit thecurvature of the edge of the base flange 20 of the casting 15, asclearly indicated at 36 in Fig. 3. The rail section 37 of the crossingtrack is then fitted in place on top of the spacing plate 35 with itsextremity abutting the curved side of the turret 26 of the casting 15,after which the rail 37 together with the spacing plate 35 and the baseplate 5 are all secured in any suitable manner to each other or to theties of the roadbed. In this respect it is to be observed that theextremity of the rail section 37 overlies, for a considerable distance.the base flange 20 of the casting thereby preventing said casting whenin position from a vertical upward movement, this movement further beingthwarted by the ball 24 of the rail 1 overhanging the top of the wall 21of said casting. 38, which is an exact duplicate of the castin 15,.isinterposed between the end of the ot er rail section 39 of the othercrossing track and the rail 1 of the main track, the rail section 39having disposed therebeneath a spacing plate 40 superimposed on the baseplate 4, the parts 39, 40 and 4 also being secured to each other in anysuitable manner, the spacing plates 35, and 40 being duplicates as wellas the castings 15 and 38.

The casting 16, forming the other member of the pair constituting thejoint of the crossing, is very similar to the casting member 15. That isto say, it has a base flange 45, a wall 46, surfaces 47, 48, 49 and 50which are exactly the same in construction as the parts 20, 21, 22, 23,25 and 26 of its companion member 15. It may also be provided withelongated apertures 51 with associated pockets 52 exactly similar to,and adapted to register with, the apertures 3() and pocket iid Insimilar manner a casting Cil lthe crossing, there will be ing castings.

31 of the companioncasting 15. The turret 53 of the casting 16 is of thesame general dimension as the turret 26 of the other casting, but itdiffers in shape therefrom in that it is provided .with a cut-awayportion 54 parallel to the diameter thereof so that when the casting 16is secured in place in provided a space or gap 55 between the topportion 56 of said turret and the ball 24 of the rail of the main trackto allow for the uninterrupted assage of the flange 57 of the wheel 58of tie railroad vehicle riding thereon, see Fig. 2.

In further construction of the crossing, a casting 16 is positionedalong the rail 1 in registry with the casting 15 on the opposite sidethereof. with the base flange 45 of the casting 16 resting upon theupper surfaces of the base plates of the respective tracks. There isthen provided along the inner or gauge side of the rail 2, a casting 60exactly similar to the casting 16.aud in line,with the base plate 5.Between the castings 16 and 60 there is then placed a spacing plate 61having its ends arcuately formed to snugly fit the curved edges ot' thebaseA flanges of the castings 16 and 60. Then on top of this spacingplate is positioned the rail -section 62 of the intersecting railway andthe whole firmly secured in any suitable manner toeach other and to theroadbed, it being understood that the ends of the rail section 62 willabut the curved sides of the turrets of the adjoin- In like manner thecasting 65 exactly similar to the casting 15 is provided on the outerside of the rail 2 of thel main track, and to this is fitted plate 66and a rail section 67 having ends formed to fit and abut the casting 65,the entire construction providing rail sections 37, 62 and 67 which willbe in alignment and constitute one of the rails of the crossing track.In this connection it should be stated that each pair of casting memberswill be positioned so as to constitute a concentric hub joint, or inother words the two substantially semi-circular turrets will produce acircular turret construction when the castings are in proper positionalong the associated rail, as clearly brought out in Fig. 8.

In exactly similar manner, the castings 70, 7l, and 72 of the other railof the crossing track, and which are duplicates respectively of thecastings 16, 60 and 65, are provided together with rail sections 73 and74, as well as spacing plates 75 and 76, all of which are duplicates ofthe rail sections 62 and 67, and spacing plates 61 and 66 thuscompleting the crossing. In this connection and with particularreference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the two rails of theintersecting railway tracks at the crossing are formed by a plurality ofrail sections of the crossing casting,

a spacing` parallelly disposed and in alignment, said pluralitycomprising a sect1on intermediate the continuous rails of the maintracks, and laterally ositioned sections extending away from said) maintracks.

The chief advantage of such a construction as above described is wellbrought out in Fig. 2 wherein it will be seen that there is provided acrossing which can be quickly fabricated, requiring no cutting ordeforming of the main track to be crossed, and of Such construction aswill provide a substantially uninterrupted passage of the wheels of thevehicle on either track. That is t0 say, it is evident from said ligurethat a wheel such as 58 on the railroad or main track will readily passthe crossing uninterruptedly because the flange 57 of said wheel willfreely pass through the space 55 while the tread of said wheel willfreely ride the top surface of the undeformed rail. Inl said figurethere is shown a portion of a wheel of a vehicle von the crossing orintersecting track, moving 'in the direction of the arrow with the treadof said wheel riding the top surface of the ball of the rail section 37and the vflange 8l of said wheel extending below said top surface. Asthe wheel '8O approaches the rail 1 of the main track it will beobserved from Fig. 2 that the extreme outer edge portion of the flange81 will ride on the top surface of the casting 15 as indicated at 82 bythe heavy dot and dash line because said top surface lies in thetangential plane of said flange, due to the constructional dimension ofthe casting member. From this surface, the edge of the flange will thenapproach and ride over the top surface of the rail l which is in thesame horizontal plane with the top surface of the casting 15 so that upto this point there will have been no jar or jolt caused to the wheel80. lines then illustrate the passage of the wheel 80 over the space orgap 55 with which the casting 16 is provided and which is only of asuflcient width to receive the flange of the wheel of the railroadvehicle 58. After crossing this gap, the wheel 80 of the railway vehiclewill then ride over the top surface of the casting 16 which likewiseis'in the same horizontal plane with the top of the rail 1, and fromthis casting 16 the wheel 80 will pass onto the intermediate railsection 62 during which move` ment the tread of said wheel will smoothlyride onto the top surface of said section, due to the fact that the topof the casting 16 is disposed below the top surface of the section 62 adistance equal to the radial dimension of the flange of the wheel 80. Itthus results that the only impact or jar to the wheel 80 will occur whenit passes the gap 55, which is of a width so small in The thin dot anddash relation to the arcuate dimension of the flange of the wheel, thatsaid impact is minimized to a degree substantially negligible. The Wheelthen travels in its continued movement to and over the castings 60 .and65 and the railroad rail 2 in the same manner as just described and'ultimately reaches the rail section 67 disposed on the other side of thecrossing.

Due to the construction of the parts, in actual practice it has beenfound unnecessary to bolt the casting members t0 the rails of the trackbeing crossed except where the angle of crossing is of a small degree,or where the crossing is made at a point of curvature the radius ofwhich is relatively small. In other words, by the use of these castingsspecial crossings may be eliminated entirely because crossings at anyangle between 40" and 90 can be fabricated from the same castings, dueto the universal or planary adjustable angularity made possible by thenovel design of the casting, and further due to the fact that thecastings are maintained in osition by fitting within the arcuate endsof) the spacing plates. Fig. 8 particularly discloses the adjustabilityor flexibility of such a crossing as above described, wherein it will beseen that no change is necessary in the castings due to the angularityof the crossings, the only changes necessary being in the cutting andforming of the sections of the base plates under the rails l and 2 ofthe tracks being crossed. Guard rails, not illustrated, may or may notbe applied Ias conditions demand.

Other features of this invention will be apparent but may be statedbriefiy as follows. The castings may or may not be welded or otherwiserigidly fixed to the crossing rails after placed in position, and thecastings are in no way secured to the main track rails except where thedegree of curvature or special conditions demand this securement. On theother hand, the castings simply fit against the ball and web of the mainrails, rest upon the base of said rails, and cooperate in such a waywith the spacing plates of the rail sections as to simulate a ball andsocket joint, thus allowing great flexibility ofthe crossing in general.The main rails can be removed or replaced without dismantling ordisturbing any part of the crossing except the rails which are to beremoved or replaced. The main rails are not rigidly fixed to any part ofthe crossing, thereby permitting what is commonly known as creeping ofsaid rails Without affecting the alignment of the crossing itself withrespect to the crossing. By the words rigidly fixed in the precedingsentence it is meant that the main rails are not welded or in any otherway made an integral part of the crossing. However this expressly doesnot exclude such methods of attaching rails as clips, etc., or suchmethods which permit movement of the rail to a limited extent in thedirection in which it is laid.

The main rail is left in its virginal state, uncut and not deformed inany manner so that railroad trains can be moved over these crossingswith the same degree of smoothness and speed as over any other part ofthe adjacent track. This eliminates all impacts from railroad enginesand cars, which .are usually very heavy, thus materially prolonging theuseful life of the crossing and eliminating much costly maintenance. Thecrossing is flange-bearing across the main rail, with only oneinappreciable impact, which is encountered in crossing the flange-way orgap 55 out in the casting to permit the unimpeded passage of the flangeson the railroad engine and car Wheels. The crossing is elastic in everymember permitting such deflections as are desirable in the passage ofheavy trains. The castings are made in such a way and of such materialas permits any part of it which may have become worn (or for any otherreason) to be built up by the ordinary methods of welding. That is tosay, the castings may be made solid and of cast steel. The castingspermit the fabrication of a composite, flexible, flange-bearing crossingwithout disturbing in any way the continuity andintegrity of the main orrailroad track.

The castings will of course be made smaller or larger as demanded by therail to be used in the crossing track, and will further be made inaccordance with the shape and size of the main track to be crossed.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction and combinations of parts without departing from the spiritof the invention and therefore it is .not desired to be limited to theforegoing disclosure except as may be demanded by the claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a railroad crossing the combination of a trackcomprisin a pair of uninterrupted rails; a secon track comprising aplurality of rail sections; and means disposed between an uninterruptedrail and a pair of rail sections adapted to adjustably permit asubstantially impactless passage of a vehicle wheel on the latter overthe former through any desired angle.

2. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof uninterrupted rails; a second .track carried by a base frame andcomprising a plurality of rail sections unconnected with respect to eachother except through the base frame; and means disposed between anuninterrupted rail and a pair of rail sections adapted to permit asubstantially impactless passa e of a vehicle wheel on the latter overthe ormer said rail sections cooperably adjustable with respect to saidmeans to provide a crossing of variable angle.

3. In a-railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof uninterrupted rails; a second track carried 'by a base frame andcomprising a plurality of rail sections unconnected with respect to eachother except' through the base frame, and unconnected to saiduninterrupted rails; and plural means disposed between an uninterruptedrail and a pair of rail sections adapted -to permita substantiallyimpactless passage of a vehicle wheel on the latter over the former saidrail sections cooperably adjustable with respect toA said means toprovide a crossing of variable angle.

4. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof uninterrupted rails; a second track comprising a plurality of railsections the lane of whose treads lies above the plane ci) the treads ofthe uninterrupted rails; and means disposed 'between anuninterruptedrail and a pair of rail sections adapted to permit a substantiallimpact-less passage of a vehicle wheel on tlie latter over the formersaid rail sections angularly adjustable with respect to said means.

5. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof rails undeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails;a crossing track comprising a plurality of rail sections; a base forsaid sections including spacing means whereb the treads of said sectionsare elevated above the treads of the underformed rails; and means toadjustably permit the passage of a vehicle wheel on the crossing trackover the underformed rail through any desired angle without interferingwith the passage of a vehicle wheel on said undeformed rail.

6. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof rails undeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails;a crossing track comprising a plurality of rail sections unconnected tosaid undeformed rails; a base for said sections including spacing meanswhereby the treads of said sections are elevated above the treads of theundeformed rails; and means to adjustably permit the passage of avehicle wheel on the crossing track over the undeformed rail through anydesired angle without interfering with the passage of a vehicle wheel onsaid undeformed rail.

'7.v In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof rails undeformed at the intersections with the cross-l ing trackrails; a crossing track comprisin r a plurality of rail sections; a basefor sai sections including spacing means whereby the treads of saidsections are elevated above vthe treads of the undeformed rails; and

.the treads l of sage of. a vehicle wheel means confined by said spacingmeans to adjustably permit the passage of a vehicle wheel on thecrossing track over the lundeformed rail through any desired anglewithout interfering with the passage of a vehicle wheel on saidundeformed rail.

8. In a railroad crossing the combination of a-track comprising a pairof rails undeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails;a crossing track comprising a plurality of rail sections; a base forsaid sectlons including spacing means whereby the treads of saidsections are elevated above the undeformed rails; and fiange supportingmeans to permit the pason the crossing track over the undeformed railwithout interfering with the passage of a vehicle wheel on saidundeformed rail saidr'il-'sections 'angularlyV adjustable with vrespecttov said means.

In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pair ofrails undeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails; acrossing track comprisin a plurality of rail sections; a base for saisections including spacing means whereby the treads of saidsections are.elevated above the treads of t-he undeformed rails; and means disposedbetween an undeformed rail and a pair of rail sections but unsecured tosaid undeformed rail to permit the passage of a vehicle wheel on thecrossing track over the undeformed rail without interfering with thepassage of a vehicle wheel on said undeformed rail.

10. A fabricated crossing including a track comprising a pair of railsundeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails; acrossing track comprising a plurality of rail sections; a fixed base forsaid sections including spacing means whereby the treads of saidsections are elevated above the treads of the undeformed rails; andmeans unsecuredby said undeformed rail, but fixed to the base frame ofsaid sections to permit the passage of a vehicle wheel on the crossingtrack over the'undeformed rail without interfering with the passage of avehicle wheel on said undeformed rail.

11. A fabricated crossing including a track comprising a pair of railsundeformed at the intersections with the crossingtrack rails; a crossingtrack comprisin a plurality of rail sections; a fixed base gir saidsections including spacing means whereby the treads of said sections areelevated above the treads of the undeformed rails; and means adapted foruse through a wide range of crossing an le said means unsecured by saidundeforlne rail but fixed thereby to permit the passage of a vehiclewheel on the crossing track over the undeformed rail without interferingwith the passage of a 'vehicle wheel on said undeformed rail.

12. A fabricated crossing including a track comprising a pair of railsundeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails; acrossing track comprising a plurality of rail sections; a fixed base forsaid sections including spacing means whereby the treads of saidsections are elevated above the treads of the undeformed rails; andmeans adapted for planar adjustment relatively to'said sections, saidmeans unsecured by said undeformed rail but xed thereby to permit thepassage of a vehicle wheel on the crossing track over the undeformedrail Without interfering with the passage of a vehicle wheel on saidundeformed rail. n

13. In a crossing assemblage the combination of a track comprising amain rail undeformed at the intersection with a crossing track rail; andmeans constituting a crossing of said main rail, said means adjustablycoacting with a pair of rail sections and a support therefor to providea second track forming with said first named track a crossingintersection of any desired angle within the limits of a relatively widerange.

14. In a crossing assemblage the combination of a track comprising amain rail undeformed at the intersection with a crossing track rail; andmeans unsecured thereto but cooperating therewith constituting acrossing of said main rail, said means adjustably coacting with a pairof rail sections and a support therefor to provide a second trackforming with said first named track a crossing intersection of anydesired angle within the limits of a relatively wide range.

15. In a crossing assemblage the combination of a track comprising amain rail undeformed at the intersection with a crossing track rail; andmeans constituting a crossing of said main rail, said means adjustablycoacting with a pair of rail sections and a support therefor andunsecured thereto to povide a second track forming with said st namedtrack a crossing intersection of any desired angle within the limits ofa relatively wide range.

16. In a crossing assemblage the combination of a track comprising amain rail undeformedat the intersection with a crossing track rail; andmeans constituting a crossing of said main rail, said means adjustablycoacting with a pair of rail sections and a. support therefor andunsecured to both of said sections as well as to said main rail toprovide a second track forming with said rst named track a crossingintersection of any desired angle within the limits of a relatively widerange.

17. In a crossing assemblage .the combi-nation of a track comprising amain rail undeformed at the intersection with a crossing track rail; andmeans constituting a unified crossing of said main rail, said meanscoacting with a pair of rail sections and a support, therefor andentirely unsecured by said undeformed rail but maintained in position bysaid sections, said support, and said main rail to provide a secondtrack forming with said first named track .a crossing intersection.

18. A track crossing intersection characterized by the fact that themain track comprises a rail undeformed at the oint of intersection, andthe crossing track 1s adjustably ada ted to form with the main Vtrackany desire angle within the limits of a wide range through theinstrumentality of a pair of members adapted to carry a vehicle wheelacross said undeformed rail.

19. A track crossing intersection characterized by the Ifact that themain track comprises a rail undeformed at the oint of intersection, andthe crossing trac is adjustably adapted to form with the main track anydesired angle within the limits of a Wide range through theinstrumentality of a pair of members fixedly associated with saidcrossing track, said members adapted to carlry a vehicle wheel acrosssaid undeformed rai 20. A track crossing intersection characterized bythe fact that the main track comprises a rail undeformed at the pointofintersection, and thecrossing track is adapted to form with the maintrack any desired angle within the limits of a wide range through theinstrumentality of a pair of members unsecured to said main track butabout which said crossing track may be adjustably positioned, saidmembers adapted to carry a vehicle Wheel across said undeformed rail.

21. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof rails undeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails;a crossing track comprising a plurality of rail sections ixedlysuperimposed on spacing means whereby the treads of said sections areelevated above the treads of the undeformed rails; a base xedlysupporting said spacing means; and means disposed between an undeformedrail and a pair of rail sections, secured to the latter but unsecured tothe former to permit the passage of a vehicle wheel on the crossingtrack over the undeormed rail without interfering with the passage of avehicle wheel on said undeformed rail.

22. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof rails undeformed at the intersections with the crossing track rails;a crossin track comprisin a plurality of rail sections ixedlysuperimposed on spacing means whereby the treads of said sections areelevated above the treads of the undeformed rails; a base ixedlysupporting said s acing means and passing under an unde ormed rail; andmeans disposed between an undeformed rail and a pair of rail sectionssecured 'to the latter but unsecured to the former to permit the passageof a vehicle Wheel on the crossing track over the undeformed railwithout interfering with the passage of a vehicle Wheel on saidundeformod rail.

9.3. In a railroad crossing the combination of a track comprising a pairof rails undelormcd at the intersections with the crossing track rails;a crossing track comprising a plurality ot' rail sections ixedlysuperlm-l posed on spacing means 'whereby the treads of said sectionsare elevated above the treads ol the undeformed rails, a base iixedlysupporting said spacing means and passing under an undeformed rail butunsecured thereto; and means disposed between an undeformcd rail and apair of rail sections secured to the latter but unsecured to the formerto permit the passage of a vehicle Wheel on the crossing track over theundeformed rail without interfering with the passage of a vehicle wheelon said undei'ormed rail.

24. A railroad crossing comliirising` a frame made up ot' base plates,rail sections the spacin lof a relatively wide range said castingsfurther adapted to eoactingly en age a rail of the track'beingr crossed'where )y no deformation of said track rail is necessary at thecrossing.

25. A railroad crossing comprising a. frame made up of base plates, railsections and spacing means therebetween, the spacing means fixedlysecured to each of the rail sections and to said base plates, andcastings adapted to be secured to said rail sections in any desiredangle Within the limits of a relatively Wide. range said castingsfurther adapted to unseeuredly but coactingly engage a rail of the'trackbeing crossed whereby no deformation of said track rail is necessary atthe crossing.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

LOUIS T. BOTTO.

